Hot takes are cheap. Grey is expensive.

It’s 11:37 a.m. in Brussels. Rain pecks the window; Ads Manager is spinning; my phone lights up with another hot take.

I need to say something bold and scroll-stopping.

So, I draft something extra spicy, but the words feel foreign in my mouth and I hit delete.

Apparently, you’re not a “real” thought leader until someone’s yelling at you in the comments.

For years, I believed that. I once worked with someone who could spin a hot take out of thin air and watch the comments section combust. And I thought: how do I become that?

Spoiler: I’m not.

I’m too nice. No, really. When you’ve been told to “be nice” your whole life, walking into the internet with a sharpened opinion feels like showing up to a knife fight in silk pajamas. For years, I thought that made me weak that I needed to “toughen up,” hire a coach, or manufacture drama just to matter.

But is outrage the price of admission? or just the metric we’ve mistaken for meaning?

Because if no one was arguing with me, I assumed I wasn’t bold enough.
If no one was offended, I figured I was too safe and this felt like a problem I need to solve ASAP.

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The Psychology of Hot Takes

Let’s talk about why hot takes work and why I’m bored to death of them….

Hot takes work because the human brain craves certainty.
Black and white is easy. Right vs. wrong is fast.

The algo runs on hot takes and that’s why you’re also tired of it.

But it fast fades.

Hot takes spike dopamine and drive clicks, but they’re disposable.

Nuance, on the other hand, builds curiosity. It invites people into a deeper conversation. And curiosity builds trust. And trust is the real currency of business.

So sure…a hot take might win you a viral moment but nuance builds staying power. It’s what turns lurkers into subscribers, browsers into buyers.

If polarity is a spark, trust is the fire that keeps people warm.

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The Belgian Fog Lesson

Belgium has this way of wrapping itself in fog, soft and unhurried. If you come visit you should know that EVERYONE will talk to you about the weather or warn you about the weather- which like hot takes, is exhausting.

Anyway, everyone complains about the weather (side note: this year’s been gorgeous — it’s basically been spring for five months, so I have no idea what they’re all going on & on about).

At first, the fog frustrated me. Where was the light, the clarity, the edge? But then I realized: the fog doesn’t erase the city, it deepens it. The spires, the cobblestones, the streetlamps — they all stand out more because of the grey.

That’s what nuance does for your brand. It doesn’t blur your message; it gives it depth. It softens the edges so people can lean in closer, see more layers, feel more energy.

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How to Market in Grey (and Sell More Because of It)

Here’s a boutique framework I use with founders who don’t want to scream for attention:

The G.R.E.Y. Method

G — Ground the moment.
Start with a human scene, not a stance. (A tab spinning. A walk in the rain. A DM that made you think.)

R — Reveal a tension.
Name the honest “this vs. that” without moralizing. (Fast attention vs. durable trust. Pretty content vs. sales assets.)

E — Explore the middle.
Offer a third path. Share context, a story, a question. (What changed your mind? What did you learn the hard way?)

Y — Yield an invitation.
End with a light ask that creates movement, not a mandate. (“Here’s what I’m trying—what would this look like for you?”)

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Finding Your Polarizing POV’S

Nuance doesn’t mean vanilla. Sometimes the sharpest move is zagging when everyone else zigs. The key is picking the right edges — the ones that build trust, not just clicks.

Here are some questions to help you find your polarizing POVs:

• Where is everyone in your industry saying the same thing? What feels overplayed, templated, or stale?
• What “rule” have you quietly broken — and found it actually works better?
• What do you believe that would make a room of your peers raise their eyebrows?
• What do you refuse to do in your marketing (even if it’s trending)? Why?
• Where have you zigged in your business — and realized that’s what made you stand out?
• If your best client heard your spiciest opinion, would it draw them closer or push them away?

The goal isn’t to polarize for attention. It’s to surface the edges of your perspective that feel most alive, true, and magnetic.

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The Quiet Power We Forget

I keep coming back to my grandfather.

He wasn’t a loud man. He didn’t need to be. He fought through Italy and Germany in WWII, away from my grandmother for 3 years. Three years!! They didn’t see each others faces! That seems insane for us nowadays but that’s what they did.

Anyhow, when he came home, he carried that same quiet strength into everyday life. He wasn’t the loudest one but when he spoke, people listened. When I got older people would tell me this about him and I don’t think I really understood for a long time.

That’s nuance. That’s trust. That’s the kind of power you can’t manufacture with a hot take.

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The Bold Move

Maybe the boldest move in 2025 isn’t shouting louder.
Maybe it’s embracing the grey — the foggy, unassuming, quietly powerful space where trust is built.

Not the loudest voice in the room.
The one people lean in to hear.